An Unexpected Trip

At the beginning of last week, I was lamenting to a friend that things were pretty boring and quiet around the house since the kids had gone back to school.  Michael and I talked about getting some things on the calendar to look forward to in the spring semester.

That quiet little bubble of empty nester life burst on Wednesday morning when I got a call from Grace saying she didn't feel well.  Without going into too many health details, she was having sharp pains in her lower abdomen.  About an hour later, she called back, her voice weak and strained, saying her roommates were taking her to the ER.  

Mama-mode activated and I had a flight, rental car and hotel booked within minutes.  As the day progressed, they ran many tests, and the diagnosis went from appendix to possible kidney stone(s).  She had IV fluids, pain medicine, and nausea medicine.  At one point, her blood pressure was 73/38.  

Her roommates stayed with her all day, and I arrived at the hospital at about 9:30pm.  They had determined that the pain was caused by a kidney stone and infection.  By the time I arrived, she wasn't in pain anymore and they were just giving her as much fluid as possible.  They decided to keep her overnight.

I was so thankful that I was able to go to Atlanta on such short notice, and also thankful that she was ok!  They released her Thursday afternoon.  She rested all day Friday and seemed to be doing better.  

At this point, I decided to head down to Auburn to see Jack on Saturday afternoon and then fly home Sunday morning.  Jack had started feeling under-the-weather on Wednesday (ironically), and I thought he would be doing better by Saturday.  Unfortunately he still felt pretty rotten, so I took him to Urgent Care when I got to Auburn.  He tested positive for flu, but it was too late for Tamiflu.  I picked up some soup, Gatorade, and over-the-counter medicine for him.  

Now I was ready to head back to the Atlanta airport, turn the car in and fly out in the morning.  But then I got a call from Grace asking if I could come over to her apartment - she was having aches in the same area again.  I headed back to the Emory campus, and did what I could to make her more comfortable. 

I was able to rearrange my travel plans for a Monday night departure, and stayed at her apartment for 2 nights.  She is feeling better now, and will have a follow up with a doctor in a few weeks.  Jack seems to be back to normal now too.  

Needless to say, I was wiped out and so tired when I got home Monday night.  Probably more mentally drained than physically.  We tend to take our health for granted, and this week-long roller coaster made me more grateful than ever for our family and health.  I'm also so thankful for how supportive and understanding Grace's roommates were.  

And now I will be completely happy to have a quiet, uneventful week at home!